Timely Confessions
by Casa Circe
Summary: ZUTARA WEEK 2015 Day Four: Rue. She thought that the change of her feelings towards him would be obvious enough. But she realized that certain things should never be left unsaid.


**ZUTARA WEEK 2015, Day 4: RUE**

 _ **Timely Confessions**_

 **DISCLAIMER:** _ **Avatar: the Last Airbender**_ **belong to Bryke, but Zutara Week belongs to all Zutarians.**

 **NOTE: The first serious entry for this year. I hope it isn't too heavy though. It's definitely not completely tragic. With a prompt like this, there was bound to be some drama though. And I always enjoy making Zuko suffer some kind of injury or another. And this is also super cheesy so forgive me for that.**

 **Anyway, hope you like this.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Katara looked forlornly at Zuko's sleeping figure. His breathing was steadier now but he had not stirred from his deep slumber for the past few days and she was getting worried. Despite her healing ability, the injury he had sustained had been quite serious and she though she refused to fear the worst, the shadow of what could happen crept up on her.

They had narrowly escaped an ambush on their way to Ember Island. The attack was led by several Yu Yan archers who rained poisoned arrows on them as they fled. Most of them had been able to avoid getting hit. Aang had used his airbending to deflect many of the arrows while Toph put up walls to block them. But by some unfortunate chance, Zuko's side was pierced by an arrow and it became clear that the main targets of the attack were Aang and Zuko.

The firebender pulled the arrow out quickly, to prevent more poison from entering his bloodstream but the effects were instantaneous and he soon began to feel faint. They all managed to reach the house at Ember Island under the cover of darkness where Katara immediately tended to Zuko's injury. By then, the firebender was weak and feverish, slipping in and out of consciousness as he lay on his bed. The others watched over him worriedly, none more than Katara.

Soon, he became completely unconscious and though his body was showing no more signs of deterioration. He had purged most of the poison so his recovery was almost a certainty but seeing the state of him, Katara remained anxious. While Zuko's condition had stabilized, he remained unconscious and his friends all waited apprehensively for him to wake up.

They all took turns watching him but Katara insisted that she would not leave his side. Sokka and Aang managed to convince her to catch a few hours of sleep ever now and then but then she would immediately be back, tending to her patient. But there was little she could do at this point, much to her frustration. All anyone could do was wait.

Whenever she was left alone with Zuko, Katara would speak to him earnestly, hoping that he could hear her somehow and the sound of her voice might coax him back to consciousness. She was also keenly aware of all that she had wanted to tell him but had been too shy or uncertain about when he was still conscious.

They had finally reconciled over the injuries of the past and she quickly learned that they shared so much in common. They were both serious about things and fiercely protective of their loved ones. To the rest of the group's amusement, the two benders also shared the same weird sense of humor. Katara was surprised at how much she enjoyed his company.

Having allowed herself to finally trust him, she found herself eager to get to know him better. There was a deep sadness in him that she understood and wanted to alleviate, in her own way. They had gone on missions together and had spent many long nights in deep conversation. They had trained together and even developed a collaborative fighting technique, fighting back to back. Zuko had begun to feel like he belonged with them and Katara had been determined to make him feel that way. In such a short time, they had grown close, closer than either would have ever imagined.

She always wanted to be near him, whether to talk about anything and everything or to even just share companionable silence. As close as everyone was in the group, she would always seek him out and she noticed that he would do the same, albeit more hesitantly. As much as she had reassured him that she had forgiven him completely, he sometimes still felt doubtful, not because he didn't trust her but because he did not always feel like he deserved her forgiveness. Every now and then, the past still weighed heavily on him.

"You can't know how much I regret all that I did," he told her frequently, "I had refused to see how wrong I was for so long and I still feel ashamed."

"You shouldn't anymore, you know," she would reply reassuringly, "you've come a long way and you've done so much. Give yourself some credit."

"You've already shown me so much kindness and generosity," he said "I can only hope to deserve all that some day."

"You have more than earned my forgiveness," Katara insisted, "and it's not like I wasn't at fault too, sometimes. I was quite harsh to you at the start."

"Understandably," Zuko said, "You had every right to hate me and I don't blame you."

"But I blame myself for some of the cruel things I said to you," Katara said, "I hope you've forgotten them."

"Not exactly," Zuko replied honestly, "They were quite accurate. You called me a traitor, a bully, someone never to be trusted, a horrible person…

"Please don't repeat what I said then," Katara interrupted nervously, "I've regretted speaking in such anger."

"But you were right," Zuko argued, trying to reassure her miserably.

"I was too hard on you," Katara said, "and I'm so sorry. Believe me, I feel very differently about you now."

There was always more to it than that but she had always been too shy to express how she truly felt.

"I should hope so," Zuko answered, "or else this would be really awkward."

He also tried to keep their conversations light, afraid of revealing too much of how he truly felt. They had many similar conversations that always ended amicably but also felt incomplete somehow. Though their feelings had clearly grown deeper, neither was brave enough to admit any of this.

Sitting by his bedside, Katara recalled all these missed opportunities. There was so much she should have told him before. And she hoped that it was not too late.

"I forgave you long ago," Katara told Zuko's sleeping figure, hoping her words would reach him, "and I gave you my friendship freely and gladly. You mean so much to me and you don't even seem to know it. I'm telling you now."

She took one of his hands in hers and held it gently.

"Come back to us," she pleaded, her eyes welling with tears, "there's still so much I want to tell you. We need you."

And then, putting aside her usual hesitation, she added sincerely, "I need you. I love you."

Overwhelmed by emotion, Katara began to sob and as she struggled to regain her composure, she felt the slightest movement from Zuko. She wiped away her tears and moved closer to him immediately.

The firebender's brow furrowed and then, his eyes blinked open, much to Katara's joy and relief. He looked around him until his gaze settled on her tearful face. She still held his hand tightly so he raised his other hand to her face and tenderly wiped some of her tears away with his thumb. She leaned into his touch with a sigh.

"Katara," Zuko whispered faintly and when the waterbender's eyes met his, she knew that he had heard every word she had said. He smiled at her then and she knew that the wish of her heart had been fulfilled.


End file.
